Review: Siiri ja sotkuinen Kerttu

The magic of theatre for the youngest members of the family

What an invigorating half an hour! Based on the children’s book of the same name written by Tiina Nopola, the children’s play Siiri and the messy Kerttu refreshes and offers the charms of theatre to the youngest members of the family.

And even as an adult, I did not escape the invigorating effect of the music-rich play directed by Kimmo Virtanen. After the play, the tired state of mind was gone and replaced by a much more enthusiastic mood. My four-year-old companion was quite impressed by the performance and would not have had the patience to leave the auditorium built in the foyer of the Helsinki City Theatre’s Small Stage. Hopefully, he asked if there would be another part after the performance (unfortunately there won’t). Or at least he thinks he should be able to watch Siiri and the messy Kerttu again soon!

Siiri and the messy Kerttu tells about Siiri’s best friend Otto’s 6th birthday. Otto’s cousin Kerttu also arrives at the birthday party, and she grabs Otto’s attention with her boisterous games. Siiri wonders if Otto would like her better if she turned into the same kind of daredevil as Kerttu.

At first, I was afraid that the play would rank children’s different temperaments, but to my delight, the opposite happens. The performance shows that everyone is good just the way they are. Sanna Majuri (Siiri), Tiina Peltonen (Kerttu) and Hannes Suominen (Otto) act and sing in a fresh way. The music of the performance is captivating and the set design is wonderfully colorful. If I had to come up with something to improve for this playful performance, I would have hoped for more color and imagination in the costume of Suominen, who plays Otto. Otherwise, everything is more than in place in the performance. It is also nice that the children can watch the performance lying on mattresses or sitting. Adults, on the other hand, can sit behind them on benches.

The 30-minute performance seems to keep even the smallest children in its grip from start to finish. The performance could be longer, so everyone seemed to enjoy themselves in the audience. I believe that the most optimal target group for the performance is 3-5 year olds. When we returned home, my own four-year-old asked if she could play the role of Kerttu as an adult. With Siiri and the messy Kerttu, I think we also experienced and grabbed with us what theatre offers at its best: the powerful charm of theatre.